4. Initiation
You, Ruby and Yang were walking down the hallway to the ballroom, passing plenty of students on the way. You feel... odd, like someone is watching you, but you ignore it for now and keep walking.
"Hey Ruby?"
"Yeah?" she smiles at you.
"I... wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn't mean to just leave you alone like that; I just do it sometimes you know?" you admit.
"Oh it's alright (Y/n), I just-" she stops herself, a devious smile forming on her face. "Well...if you really want to apologize... can I see your weapon?"
"Ruby..." Yang scolds.
"Hey, it's no problem." you assure as you hand Onyx Rose to Ruby.
"It's pretty light." she comments, weighing it in her hands.
"Yeah, it's a pretty simple blade; not a lot of bells, whistles or... gun barrels." you explain. "I mean seriously, does everything have to be a gun?"
"Well if it isn't also a gun, what makes it so special?" Ruby asks, curious.
"Unsheathe it and see." you instruct.
Ruby does as you instruct and pulls the blade from the its sheathe, her silver eyes meeting the black metal. She fully pulls the katana from the sheath and hands it to you, her eyes glued to the blade; she takes in everything down to the minute detail. The craftsmanship of the blade was superb; she could tell it was strong and sturdy, if taken care of properly. She raises an eyebrow at the runes running down both sides of the blade, deciding to ask you about it.
"Hey (Y/n)? What're these shapes for?"
"The runes? They help me activate the blade. I grip the handle and concentrate my Aura into the blade, letting me change its shape." you explain.
"Oooh... can you show me? Please?" she begs.
"Ruby." Yang interjects. "This isn't the time or place to do that."
"Aww come on Yang, (Y/n) doesn't mind... do you?"
"Actually, I agree with your sister on this. You'll see what Onyx Rose can do eventually." you say taking your sword back from Ruby and sheathing it.
"Oh... okay. Well, as long as we're showing off weapons, maybe I can show you Crescent Rose."
"You mean that giant scythe?"
"Yeah, it's really cool! I made it myself! It's also not just a scythe; it's a collapsible, high-impact sniper rifle. It's red and black and soooo cooool; hang on, let me go get it!" Ruby excitedly rambles before trying to run off, Yang grabbing her by her hood to stop her.
"Ruby, we're showing (Y/n) to the ballroom remember?" she reminds.
"Oh yeah... sorry." she sheepishly giggles.
Yang sighs, turning to you.
"Sorry (Y/n); as you can see, my sister's sword of a weapons freak." she jokes.
"Ugh Yang, please no puns." Ruby facepalms.
"What? I thought it was pretty-"
She's cut off by someone's raucous laughter behind her. She turns herself and Ruby around, to see you leaning against the wall, doubled over holding your stomach, laughing your butt off.
"Sword... weapon... amazing..." you gasp between laughs.
Yang smiles, finally someone who appreciated her genius.
'I knew there was something about you.' she thinks.
"(Y/n)... not you too." Ruby laments.
"What? Are you telling me Yang and I should... put an axe in it?" Ruby groans while you and Yang burst out laughing.
"Please stop..."
"Okay, okay. Tell you what sis, let's... bury the hatchet."
You and Yang are losing it at this point; you on the floor and Yang letting Ruby go in order to hold her sides. Sure people were starting to stare at the two of you, but you didn't care, you were having fun.
"Grrr... one day I'll end your reign of terrible, evil puns!" Ruby yells as she speeds off with her Semblance.
"Ruby... wait..." Yang pleads between laughs, but she was already gone.
"Well Yang, I guess you'd better... spearhead a campaign to find your sister." you joke, getting up off the floor.
Yang stifles another laugh, calming down before speaking again.
"Man (Y/n), if I had known you were so funny, I wouldn't have whooped your butt."
"Ah yes, it's how I'll defeat all my enemies; one mighty pun-ch." you joke holding your fist up.
You and Yang share one last laugh before she starts walking away.
"Well if you'll excuse me, I have one hyperactive sister to find."
"It's been nice reconnecting with you Yang." you say honestly.
"Yeah, hopefully we'll be spending more time together." she winks.
"Oh, you better believe it hot stuff." you wink back.
You wave as Yang walks away, and you swear you can hear her mutter something as she turns the corner, a small blush on her face.
"Damnit, not again..."
Once she's completely around the corner, your demeanor changes completely; your smile drops and you look around, scanning the area.
"Alright, you may as well come out now." you say to your stalker.
An amber eyed girl with a black bow on her head steps out from a corner behind you, cautiously walking towards you. You turn around, your face twisting into one of pure disdain as you recognize who it is.
"What are you doing here?" she finally speaks.
"I could ask you the same thing, murderer."
"I didn't kill anyone." she defends. "That was...him."
"Yeah, while you stood there and watched!"
She looks down, thinking of what to say.
"I'm not proud of what happened; but if it's any consolation, I'm not with the White Fang anymore."
Your face softens a bit, though you're still glaring at her.
"Is that so? Okay then, I'll believe you."
"R-really?" she asks in disbelief.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I forgive you for what happened." you interject. "And I'll be keeping an eye on you. If the White Fang start storming the place, I'm coming after you first." you threaten, pointing at her.
"O-of course, I understand." she nods and begins to walk past you.
"What's your name?" you ask as she reaches you.
"Blake."
"Alright then Blake, hopefully I won't have to hurt you."
"Yeah... and for what it's worth... I'm sorry." she says genuinely.
"I'll accept your apology when you've earned it."
She only nods as she walks past you, leaving you to your thoughts. You lean up against the wall, contemplating about what to do.
'Hmm...should I tell Ozpin about this? Well, if Blake's already here, he most likely does know.' you rationalize. 'Worse come to worse, he's the Headmaster, so he would take care of it right?'
You sigh as you push off the wall, picking up your bag and trudging along the hallway. You abruptly stop, your eyes widening in realization.
"Wait... I still don't know where the ballroom is! Gah, you know what? I'm just checking every room until I find it!" you shout, finally taking matters into your own hands.
"Um... e-excuse me?" you hear a small voice behind you.
You turn to see a dark-skinned girl standing there, her grey eyes looking at you behind her rectangular, purple-rimmed glasses. She had light purple, shoulder length hair, her bangs hanging in front of her forehead stopping right above her glasses. She wore a long-sleeved white button up shirt with a purple tie around her neck with music notes running down it. She wears a purple plaid skirt that stopped above her knees with a black belt wrapped around her waist, a golden eighth note at the front. She finishes with white knee-high socks with black shoes.
"Y-you wanted to find the b-ballroom?"
You nod.
"Yeah I do; just point me in the right direction and I'll find it... eventually."
"Oh... w-well you see the ballroom isn't in this building." she explains. "T-this is the main building, where the classrooms, library and c-cafeteria are."
"Then where's the ballroom?"
"I-it's in the building adjacent to this one, with the t-training arena, locker room, gym and forge. I-I can show you there... i-if you want." she offers.
"Nah." you wave off. "I absolutely love being lost not knowing where to go."
"Oh... w-well, I-I see..." she looks down, dejected.
You laugh waving your hands.
"Hey now, I was just joking." you clarify.
"Ah... r-right... people do that."
"You... are kinda weird." you mutter scratching your head.
"W-was that a j-joke too?"
"Uh... yes, yes it was. Now to the ballroom!"
"R-right, f-follow me." she walks off and you follow her.
"So, you seemed to know the layout of this place pretty well." you compliment.
"O-oh of course. A-after all, I did m-memorize the layout of the school b-before coming here."
"Wow, really?" you ask genuinely impressed.
"I-it was nothing r-really. It's relatively easy for me, I-I've always been good at that k-kind of thing."
"Well, it's still impressive; I mean I wish I could do something like that."
She smiles.
"I-I'm glad someone th-thinks so..." she mutters.
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The two of you soon reach a pair of double doors with two golden handles positioned symmetrically on the door.
"W-well... here we are."
You grab the handles, twist them and push the doors open; you're greeted with a large but relatively empty room, a few makeshift beds lying on the wooded floor. You can see a large, ornate chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Some of the students have already settled in; some boys and girls flirting with each other already. You shake your head as you walk in, teenagers will be teenagers you suppose; you walk over to the wall, taking a seat with your back to it. You turn your head and notice the girl had followed you in, looking around somewhat nervously.
"Thanks for showing me to the ballroom, and not abandoning me halfway through."
"W-why would I ab-bandon you?" she asks, still looking around.
"Well... it's a long story; don't worry about it."
"Oh... w-well m-may I join you? I-if you don't m-mind." she asks hopefully.
"Sure. I don't see why not." you smile as you clear a spot next to you.
She gives a small smile as she takes a seat next to you, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"So what's your name?"
Oh... uh... O-O-Orchid Y-Y-Young." she stammers.
"That's a nice name." you smile.
"Y-you r-really think so?" she timidly asks.
"Sure, I mean it matches the color scheme that you've got going on there."
"O-oh... I s-suppose so huh? I n-never really noticed."
'I'm guessing a lot of people don't notice.' you think. "My name's (Y/n) nice to meet'cha."
"Y-yes, a pleasure to m-make your acquaintance." she smiles.
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As the day winds down, more and more people start to filter into the ballroom, you notice Orchid's eyes darting around the room.
"Hey Orchid, you okay?"
"O-oh I'm f-fine... there's j-just a l-lot of p-people coming in. S-so m-much n-noise." she groans holding her hands over her ears.
"Noise?"
"I-it's a s-side effect of m-my S-Semblance. I-I'm a lot m-more sensitive to s-sounds than m-most people."
"Ah I see. I suspect you can use that to your advantage too?"
"O-of course, practically no one can s-sneak up on me." she proudly states, taking her hands off her ears.
"It also explains why you speak so softly. Don't want to get overwhelmed by your own voice." you joke.
"Y-yeah, that would be p-pretty lame."
You both share a small laugh, after which there's a few moments of silence between you two before Orchid speaks again.
"Y-you know (Y-Y/n), you're the f-first person that I've talked to for this long." she admits. "M-most people think I'm c-creepy or w-weird or a know-it-all... b-but you actually gave me a chance."
You smile.
"Well, I like to think that everyone deserves a chance, though that has bit me in the butt a few times. But you don't seem so bad."
"W-well, I appreciate it e-either way." she smiles.
You yawn then stretch a little.
"Since the day's winding down, mind showing me to the locker room?"
"Ah y-yes... I have to get changed as well."
You and Orchid get up and she leads you out the door and around a few corners to the locker room. You absentmindedly try to go through the door as someone was coming out, causing you to crash into them, knocking them to the floor.
"Ouch! Watch it!" a feminine voice shrieks.
You look down at the person you knocked over: it was a girl; her long, snow-white hair sprawled on the ground. She had bright blue eyes and fair pale skin, the only blemish being a scar running down her left eye.
"Oh, sorry about that." you smile, extending your hand out to try to help her up.
She immediately smacks your hand away and gets up, brushing off her light blue nightgown.
"Why don't you watch where you're going you clumsy dolt!" she yells, wagging her finger in your face.
You push her finger out of your face.
"Hey, I said I was sorry!" you say irritated.
"You should be! This isn't some playground you know!" she yells again, placing her hands on her hips.
"P-p-please stop yelling." Orchid laments covering her ears.
"OH I'M SORRY!" the girl deliberately yells louder. "AM I BEING TOO LOUD FOR YOU?!"
Orchid covers her ears harder and clasps her eyes shut, shaking a bit. You had enough and move between her and the white-haired witch.
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
The girl looks like she was about to say something, but stopped herself.
"You know what, I don't have time for this; I have to get some sleep." she condescendingly says, pushing her way past you and Orchid. "Out of my way."
"Sheesh, what a bitch." you mutter.
"I-I concur, though I w-wouldn't use such c-crude language."
"Oh right, you could hear that." you rub the back of your head. "Anyway, you okay?"
"Y-yes I'm f-fine." she confirms. "Th-thank you for d-defending me (Y/n)."
"It's no problem Orchid. I always defend my friends." you smile.
"F-f-friend?"
"Yeah, why not? Now then, I have to get changed; I'm getting sleepy."
You walk into the locker room to get changed, leaving Orchid behind, her looking at her feet.
'Friend...' she smiles at the thought, walking into the locker room.
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Orchid steps out of the locker room in her pajamas: a grey t-shirt with an eighth note in the middle of the chest with purple bottoms. She sees you leaning on the wall opposite the room, in a simple black t-shirt with dark green shorts, a pillow and blanket in your hands.
"Oh... y-you waited for me."
"Of course I did; come on, let's get a spot."
You grab her hand and drag her to the ballroom; more people made themselves at home, conversing with one another. You notice Orchid's eyes darting around the room, her face turning sour.
"Hey Orchid."
She snaps out of her stupor and notices you wrapped your arm around hers.
"Don't focus on them, focus on me." you advise.
She does as you advise and focuses on you. The noise in her mind seems to die down as her eyes lock onto yours.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah, I think I am." she smiles.
"Hey (Y/n)!"
You both turn your heads to find the source of the voice: a familiar blonde and her sister waving at you.
"F-friends of yours?"
"Something like that. Come on I'll introduce you."
Orchid nodded timidly, nervous about meeting new people, but as long as you were with her, she felt... calm. It was indescribable, but she did. You and her take a seat across from Ruby and Yang, smiling.
"Ladies." you greet.
"Who's your friend?" Ruby asks cheerfully.
You nudge Orchid to get her to speak.
"O-Orchid Y-Young. N-nice to meet you."
"Hi! I'm Ruby and this is my sister Yang."
"Yo." Yang greets. "So (Y/n), you found the ballroom." she jokes.
"Yeah, no thanks to either of you." you playfully pout.
"Uh...sorry about that (Y/n)." Ruby apologizes sheepishly.
"Yeah we're sorry... would a kiss make it up to you?" Yang flirts, leaning closer to you.
"A k-kiss? W-well I uh..." you stutter, cheeks red.
"Haha yes! I finally got you!" Yang cheers, a giant smile on her face.
"G-got you?" Orchid asks confused.
"Yeah, we've been having a little back and forth since we met." you explain.
"Yeah, I've been trying to get him to blush like he did to me." Yang explains further.
"Well you started it!" you accuse.
"Hey I didn't expect you to turn it on me like you did. Most guys usually can't handle it."
"Well, I'm not most guys." you proudly state.
'No (Y/n). No you aren't.' she thinks to herself, smiling.
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As the night progressed, the four of you were talking, laughing and sharing stories; even Orchid was laughing a bit, albeit not too loudly.
"So... that explosion...was you?" you laugh.
"Yeah... it was. But I apologized and now we're best friends!" Ruby assures holding a thumbs up.
"R-really?" Orchid inquires.
Her head drops.
"No... not at all..." she dejectedly sighs.
"Don't worry Ruby, I too have met the wrath of that harpy." you say comforting Ruby.
"Well look at it this way sis." Yang starts. "You really started the year off..."
"Oh please no..." Ruby sighs covering her face.
"WITH A BANG!" you and Yang yell.
You and Yang look at each other for a second before bursting out laughing, even Orchid let out a small giggle.
"Um... excuse me." a new voice deadpans.
You all look at the source and you see Blake standing there in a black yukata, bow still on her head, holding a small candelabra in one hand and a book in the other.
"Would you mind keeping it down, I'm trying to read."
"Oh sorry..." Ruby whisper shouts.
Blake nods and walks back to the corner of the room she was sitting. Your eyes never leave her, following the Faunus the whole way back.
"Heeelllooo? Remnant to (Y/n)." Yang waves her hand in front of your face. "You alright? You were staring at that girl."
"Oh was I? Sorry about that." you yawn. "And on that note, I'll be going to sleep."
"Oh okay, bye (Y/n), bye Orchid!" Ruby whisper shouts while Yang simply waves.
You get up and motion for Orchid to follow you, leaving Yang and Ruby to their devices. You, feeling cheeky, you quickly run up and peck Yang on the cheek; leaving her as red as Ruby's hair.
"That's four." you whisper to her before you run off.
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You awake with a start looking around the room; it was still full, everyone still sleeping. You lay back and try to go back to sleep... but you couldn't. You sigh, getting up and picking up the blanket and pillow off the floor.
"Well, I'm already up." you mutter, leaving the room. "May as well get changed."
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You step out of the locker room, fully dressed and Onyx Rose in your hand.
"Now... where do I go?" you ask yourself.
"T-to the cliff overlooking the E-Emerald Forest."
You turn your head and see Orchid, still in her pajamas, a small smile on her face.
"Finally! I actually know where that is!" you exclaim.
"And y-you'd p-probably still find a way to g-get lost." Orchid giggles.
Your eyes widen in delight.
"Orchid... was that a joke?" you smile.
"Oh... I-I didn't m-mean it. I... uh... w-well-" you stop her by putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Relax. I'm actually impressed." you compliment. "It was a good one too."
"R-really?" she smiles.
"Yup. Anyway, I'll see you there." you wave and run off.
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You reach the cliff to see Ozpin and Glynda standing near the edge of the cliff in front of the springboards; Glynda typing away on a tablet and Ozpin looking out to the forest, mug and cane in hand. You clear your throat to gain their attention and they both look at you, Ozpin merely smiles at you while Glynda is genuinely surprised.
"(Y/n), you're actually early."
You shrug.
"Eh, I woke up early and thought I may as well get this initiation over with. So let's do this."
"Apologies (Y/n)." Ozpin says stepping toward you. "But, you're going to have to wait for your fellow students."
"What? B-but-"
"No buts (Y/n)." Glynda scolds. "While I appreciate you arriving early, you'll have to wait."
You groan, falling backwards onto the soft grass putting your hands behind your head and closing your eyes.
"Man... this is the last time I wake up early." you mutter.
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A small commotion wakes you up; you sit up and turn your head and see the ensemble of fellow first-years. Ruby, Yang, Blake, Orchid, Pyrrha and the white-haired girl you recognize; the others you don't. A blonde boy in white and gold armor, a ginger-haired girl bouncing around with an... interesting look in her eyes, next to her was a boy in green with black hair, a magenta strand hanging in front of his face, seemingly trying to calm the ginger down, and a boy with reddish-brown hair in grey armor with a golden bird emblazoned on the chest piece; there were others, but they didn't seem that important. They all had their weapons with them, except Orchid who appeared to be carrying a small silver rectangular briefcase, a dark purple heart with a treble cleft in it, music scales and notes flowing through it. You smirk, deciding to stand up and greet your fellow students.
"Finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting here?"
"A-about one hour and t-ten minutes." Orchid answers.
Your face drops.
"Thank you Orchid." you deadpan.
"Not a p-problem." she smiles. "W-wait, you were joking w-weren't you?"
You solemnly nod.
"Ugh, out of my way!" the white haired girl yells pushing her way past everyone.
You roll your eyes as everyone gets into position on the springboards. Ozpin and Glynda step forward to address everyone.
"Now then." Glynda starts. "Some of you may have heard rumors about teams; however, those are just that, rumors."
"Indeed." Ozpin chimes in. "You will be put into teams... today."
"WHAT?!" you hear Ruby scream.
"You shall all be sent into the Emerald Forest to find the temple, retrieve a relic and return here with it." Ozpin explains. "The teams will be dependent on the relics you gather, so choose carefully."
"Also, the first person you lock eyes with while in the forest will be your partner for your four years here at Beacon." Glynda adds. "If you fail to find a partner and retrieve a relic, you will be expelled."
You notice that Ruby is sweating bullets at this point. You inwardly chuckle, but then you notice Orchid shaking a bit. You, being right next to her, you nudge her; she looks to you and you give her a smile and thumbs up, trying to reassure her. It seems to work, as she looks ahead, a newfound resolve in her eyes.
"Now then, any questions?" Ozpin asks as he slyly looks to Glynda, as she begins to type on her tablet.
"U-um yeah... uh sir?" the blonde boy stutters. "H-how exactly will we be getting to the forest?" he asks as students were being launched.
"You will be flying in." Ozpin answers as more students are launched. "I suggest you develop a landing strategy as soon as possible."
"Uh right, landing strategyyyy!" and he's sent flying.
You snicker and take one last at Orchid before she's launched.
"Hey Orchid, good luck."
"Th-thank you (Y/n), y-you too." she smiles before she's launched.
"Looks like I'm up." you state. "Oh wait I think I left the oven oooon!" you joke before you're launched.
"This is a very... interesting group this year." Ozpin chuckles.
"You say that every year." Glynda says, not looking up from her tablet.
"That's because it's true every year." he smiles, taking a sip from his mug.
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"Whooohooo!"
You fly through the air, arms outstretched. You were loving it, the adrenaline pumping through your veins; but alas, all good things must come to an end, as you unsheathe Onyx Rose and extend it outward, it piercing through some trees before it hits the ground, making it stop. You retract your sword and fall to the ground, making a small crater in the ground.
"Gah... that is murder on the legs." you groan before you run off.
"Okay gotta find the temple, grab a relic, and find a partner." you list off.
You keep running until you bump into someone, knocking them down. You take a look at who it was: the white-haired girl from earlier. She looks up and you lock eyes with her.
"Not you again!" you both yell.
You hear a rustling in the bushes behind the girl; you ready your sword to defend yourself, but Ruby comes running out, stopping to catch her breath.
"Wait... up... Weiss..." she pants.
"Ruby? What are you doing here?"
"Oh... hey (Y/n)... Weiss is... my partner."
"She is? I'm so sorry."
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" Weiss exclaims.
"What do you think it means you rude little-"
"Okay okay, let's just take it easy!" Ruby interjects getting in between you two. "(Y/n) since you don't have a partner yet, you can follow us... if you want."
"Well, as long as you're here, sure." you half smile.
"Alright! Onward team!" she cheers and points forward, while Weiss rolls her eyes.
"You don't get to tell me what to do." Weiss comments walking past Ruby.
The two of you roll your eyes and follow her.
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You and Ruby were following behind Weiss, who was leading the way. Weiss abruptly stops and looks around the area, somewhat confused.
"Hmm... this way." she points in a random direction.
"Do you even know where we're going?" you ask.
"Of course I do!" she snaps.
"She has no idea." Ruby whispers.
"Will you two please be quiet?!" Weiss yells. "I'm trying to focus!"
"Focus on what, being lost?" you snicker.
"Listen you-"
"Wait shh... do you hear that?"
"Don't you shush mmmrph!" Weiss begins to yell, but Ruby covers her mouth with her hands.
You concentrate and as you do, you hear the telltale sounds of someone yelling out in pain.
"You heard that right? Someone's in trouble."
Weiss manages to wrench herself away from Ruby.
"So?"
"So?! We have to help them!"
"No, we don't; we have an objective to complete. If they get hurt, they get hurt; we don't have time to worry about every single person." Weiss argues.
"Alright fine! I'll help them myself!" you run off.
"(Y/n) wait!" Ruby yells after you, but you're already gone.
Ruby sighs.
"Weiss, why would you say that?"
"Because it's true. You can't help everyone at once; if you try, you're going to end up getting hurt. If he wants to go and possibly die helping someone, let him. I say good riddance." Weiss lectures walking away. "Come on."
Ruby looks down at the ground before following Weiss, her mind plagued with worry.
'(Y/n)... be careful.'
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Orchid pants heavily, case on hand, sweat running down her face as four Beowolves stare her down. There were originally more of them, but she managed to take down two; not without some difficulty of course, as she wasn't really built for fighting, but more of a support role. The Beowolves circle around her, their red eyes locked on to her; they stop and one pounces, seeing an opening. Orchid braces herself for impact, but it never comes; she opens her eyes and sees you standing on top of it, the heel of your foot keeping its head down.
"Easy there boy." you joke before you unsheathe your sword and impale it in the head, killing it. "Bad dog."
The Beowolf dissipates and you walk over to Orchid, who's on her knees panting.
"You alright?"
"Y-y-yes... thank you... (Y/n)."
"No problem; now then, who's next?"
You point towards the Beowolves, challenging them. One growls at you before pouncing, leaving the other two behind. You smirk and extend Onyx Rose outward, piercing the beast through the mouth and out its back. It squirms a bit before you hoist your sword high into the air and slam the Beowolf down on the ground. As it dissipates, you retract your sword.
"Next." you say darkly.
The remaining Beowolves glance at each other before backing off into the forest. You release the tension in your body and turn back to Orchid and help her up.
"Guess we're partners now." you comment.
"I-it seems so."
"So... you wouldn't happen to know where the temple is do you?" you ask hopefully.
"N-no, sorry."
"Hmm... well, how about you listen for it?"
"H-huh?"
"The side effect of your Semblance; if you can hear people as we walk, we'll know we're going the right direction." you explain.
"O-oh. Th-that's actually pretty smart."
"Don't sound so surprised; I have good ideas... sometimes. Now, lead the way!"
Orchid smiles and nods as she takes the lead; you follow, going deeper into the forest.
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"Ugh, are we there yet?" you complain.
"S-sorry (Y/n). I've only b-been hearing the occasional scream or n-noises from the Grimm." Orchid apologizes.
"Eh, it's alright." you wave off. "It'll take as long as it needs to."
Orchid's hearing picks up a commotion to the east; she stops and concentrates on it, only to be met with a loud scream.
'RUBY!'
"(Y/n)! Th-this way!" Orchid runs off and you follow.
After running for a moment, you come to a clearing, seeing a Deathstalker struggling to free its stinger from a block of ice. You look to the left and see what looks like the remains of a temple, with some sort of pedestals in front of it. You also see a group of teens in front of the temple as well; you run over to them with Orchid in tow.
"Hey gang! Did I miss the butt whoopin'?"
"Nope!" the ginger girl replies, a massive grin on her face. "It's just about to begin!"
"Nora!" the boy in green shouts. "I don't think we have time for this."
He points to the sky at a Nevermore circling overhead; as everyone looks up at it, the Deathstalker breaks its stinger from its icy prison.
"Oh great." the blonde boy laments.
"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's hightail it outta here!" Yang suggests.
"Run and live, an idea I can get behind."
As everyone runs off, you and Orchid stay behind to get your relics, seeing the Deathstalker and Nevermore chase after them.
"You guys coming?!" Yang shouts behind her.
"We need our relics first! We'll catch up!"
She gives a thumbs up as confirmation and disappears in the horizon. You turn back to the temple and notice that the so-called 'relics' were in fact chess pieces; and that there were only two left: a white and a black queen piece. You take the black one and walk over to Orchid to give her the white one.
"Not really sure I get it, but I won't complain. Here."
You try to hand it to her, but you see she's shaking in fear, focused on the tree line behind you.
"What's wrong?"
"S-something's c-coming, something b-big."
Your attention turns to the forest, the sound of trees being felled in the distance. The sound gets closer and closer until a large figure bursts from the trees, prompting you and Orchid to dive out of the way of it. The beast was twice the size of a regular Beowolf, with two wolf heads clad in bony armor, with bone spikes running down its spine and assorted bone spikes around its body.
"What the hell is that?!"
"I-I've heard s-stories about this... a m-mutation in the Beowolf line, s-stronger and f-faster than a regular one. They c-call it a Demi-Cerberus."
"Well whatever it is, it's going down! Orchid get back to the others, I got this."
"N-no! I'm your partner and I-I'm staying!" she says with resolve.
You sigh, not wanting to argue with her and get into a stance.
"Alright, but you better not slow me down!"
You leap into action, literally, as the Demi-Cerberus rushes at you; you jump over the beast's swipe, landing on its back. You try to stab it in its back while it tries to shake you off; you land a hit, stabbing the hide of the beast. It howls in pain for a second until it extends the spikes on its back, shooting you off. You land and roll on the ground a bit before you stop yourself. The Demi-Cerberus turns to Orchid and charges at her, snarling; she dodges and knocks her case on one of the heads as it runs into the pedestals in front of the temple. Orchid then runs over to you to check on your condition.
"A-are you a-alright."
"Yeah, I'm good." you stand and brush yourself off. "But damn, that thing is tough. Any ideas?"
"J-just one." she responds, kneeling down and opening her case.
You raise an eyebrow as she pulls out a flute with a bright and shiny silver finish. She then pulls out a fire Dust crystal and slides it into a compartment in the flute, closing it and twisting the flute into place; it ignites into a vibrant red color.
"What is that?"
"M-my weapon, V-Violet Melody."
"Your 'weapon' is a flute?!"
"I-it works better with my Semblance. J-just watch- or r-rather listen."
She brings the flute to her mouth and begins to play a soft but somehow powerful melody. It fills your very being, empowering you; you look at your body, a red aura pulsating around you.
"What?"
"I-I can use sound to affect things and p-people, and with d-different Dust crystals, it has d-different effects." Orchid explains. "F-fire crystals give an i-increase to strength."
You smirk, clenching your fist.
"I take it back, that's awesome."
The Demi-Cerberus frees itself from the rubble and turns, growling at you. You raise your sword, challenging it; it snarls and charges as you adopt a low stance, sheathing your sword. You concentrate the aura into your arm and run toward the beast. As soon as you're close enough, you quickly slash your sword as you both cross each other; you twirl with your sword with a flourish and sheathe it, the Demi-Cerberus falling apart as you finish, right down the middle.
"I've always wanted to do that."
You turn back to Orchid, who's already packed up her flute.
"N-nice job (Y/n)."
"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you." you shrug. "Oh, and before I forget... here." you hand her the white queen piece. "Come on, we should get back."
Orchid nods and you two run back the way the others went. As you do, a small spherical drone flies out from the trees and over to the now dissipating Demi-Cerberus.
"Hmm... another failure." a man's voice comments before the drone flies off.
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"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark." Ozpin lists off. "You four have gathered the four bishop pieces; thus you four shall be known as Team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester."
The audience claps as they are escorted off the stage and four more people take their place.
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren; you four have retrieved the rook pieces, therefore you shall be known as Team JNPR. Led by Jaune Arc."
"M-me?" Jaune asks confused.
"Congratulations Mister Arc." Ozpin smiles.
Pyrrha pats Jaune on the back as they walk off stage.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long; you four retrieved the knight pieces, therefore you shall be known as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose."
Weiss' face drops immediately; the childish, inexperienced Ruby was picked to be leader...over her?! She wanted to protest, but decided to grin and bear it...for now.
"I'm so proud of you sis!" Yang engulfs her sister in a hug.
"Can't... breathe..."
Ozpin clears his throat, signaling them to move off the stage.
"Last, but not least: (Y/n) Goodwitch and Orchid Young; you two retrieved the queen pieces, thus you two shall be on a team together and assist the other first year teams should they need it; if that's alright with you two."
You both nod and leave the stage, walking over to the others.
"Nice one (Y/n)! You too Orchid!" Ruby cheers.
"Pssh, it was nothing really." you scoff.
"W-well we did almost kind of d-die."
"Orchid, you're gonna have to learn to not sweat the details; only results matter."
"What if the result is you dying?" Ren questions.
"Damn, I never thought of that..." you admit.
Your reverie is interrupted by Glynda clearing her throat.
"If you'll excuse me, I shall show you to your dorms."
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Glynda leads you and Orchid to a door, pulls out a Scroll and holds it up to a scanner above the handle; a beep is heard, signaling the door is open. She opens the door and leads you two in; the room is relatively large, with four beds, a bathroom and even a television.
"This will be your room for the next four years. If any more new students arrive they'll be roomed with you, so don't get too comfortable." she explains handing you two some folded clothes. "These are your uniforms, I expect you to wear them every day."
"Ugh, uniforms." you groan.
"Every. Day (Y/n)." Glynda growls.
"Alright I got it."
"Also here are your Scrolls, use them to access your room, to take notes and contact other students and teachers. Also..." her demeanor darkens. "No funny business."
"O-of c-course not m-ma'am."
"Good." she smiles. "Welcome to Beacon you two."
You and Orchid immediately make yourselves at home, taking a bed and unpacking your things. You take off your jacket and lay on the bed, sighing.
"Oh wait."
You rummage through your bag and pull out a photo of your mother holding you as a baby. You stare at the photo for a bit, a tear escaping from your eye.
"Wh-who's that?"
You quickly wipe your face and place the photo on the nightstand next to the bed.
"It's my mom." you answer plainly.
"Oh. She m-must be proud of you."
You shrug.
"Not that I would know, she's been missing for two years and I've been looking for her."
"O-oh... I'm sorry."
You shrug again.
"It's not a problem really... anyway it's getting late, so let's get some rest." you yawn, lying back on your bed.
"O-okay... n-night (Y/n)."
"Night Orchid." you smile, closing your eyes and falling asleep.
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First of all, I apologize for this chapter being late. I had a bit of writer's block and couldn't get anything out, but here's a longer chapter that will hopefully compensate for the wait. I don't really have anything else to add, so I'll see you all next chapter!